So the other day, I got a phone call from the man with the plan and the golden tan, Ladies Choice. LC is a guy I travelled with a lot, wrestled a lot, and even teamed with a fair bit. He’s one of the “good guys” and is a super creative and talented guy in a number of fields. He is one of the guys I really enjoy staying in touch with.
One of the topics we discussed was the current suspension being served by WWE agent (actually, I beleive the official term these days is “producer”), Michael Hayes. Hayes was handed the suspension after apparently using some racial slurs to a WWE talent (reportedly Mark Henry - who is a big, scary man that could snap most people like a toothpick).
There was a small news blurb that made the rounds weeks ago that was attibuted to your truly on this suspension, and more specifically retelling a story about Hayes using similar racially-charged comments to a night club-goer in Vancouver, BC when the WWE was in town for a show. This story was picked up by a number of other wrestling sites and run word-for-word, claiming it was sent in by “Adam Firestorm from Victoria, BC.
You can read the article HERE.
Not that I think it’s that big of a deal, but for the record, I didn’t send that story in.
To make it funnier, it wasn’t really my story to tell. Ladies Choice was there that night years ago, and long ago told me the story. LC got a good chuckle about having seen the article online, and I felt to need to explain to him how I ended up taking credit for his story.
Bryan Alvarez, the editor of the Figure Four Weekly newsletter, runs a great site at www.F4WOnline.com. By subscribing to his newsletter (great rates, by the way), you get access to hundreds of back issues, the latest issue as soon as it is completed (no waiting for the mailman to deliver it), and some great daily audio content featuring the likes of Lance Storm and Dave Meltzer. There’s also a forum for subscribers.
I have known Alvarez for over a decade, have many friends in common with him, and have even wrestled him in the ring. I have membership priveledges to his site and have appeared on his radio show, and enjoy interacting with other readers on the forum.
While discussing the Hayes situation on the forum (which is for paid subscribers only and not open to the general public), I mentioned LC’s run-in with Hayes years ago. Someone read it, copied it, and pasted it to the wrestling news site Rajah.
Within minutes, I was receiving emails and IM’s saying stuff like “I didn’t know you write for Rajah” and “contributing to the dirt sheets, are we?”
I don’t really consider it a big deal, but I do think it’s pretty crappy that someone would take something from a (somewhat) private forum and reprint it out of context without first seeking permission. I mean, really, if the person that lifted it has access to the F4W board, all they had to do is click the “send private message” button next to my post.
I do have a problem with them claiming that I “wrote in with the following story” when I didn’t. The only wrestling websites I have ever contributed to are Figure Four Weekly and WrestlingObserver.com.
To sum up our lesson today here, kids, it wasn’t really “my” story, it’s LC’s story, and I didn’t contribute it to any news sites.
I wouldn’t normally be so anal, but I had to sit through all those law, business, and similar classes covering trademark and copyright specifics.
Hey, at least they got my name right!
Adam
